How to Prevent Electrical Switches from Converting to Three-way Switches

Reference Number: KB-00354Last Updated: 12-23-2014 04:08 PM

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

When I add two switches to my drawing, and then connect them to a single light, my switches convert automatically to three-way switches. How do I stop this automatic conversion process, so that I only have the two-way switches I started out with?

ANSWER

By default, electrical switches are set to automatically change to three-way switches when more than one switch is connected to the same fixture.

If you would prefer that the program not do this, you can turn off this behavior for any electrical switch in its specification dialog. It is important that this be done before electrical connections are drawn to the switch in question, however, as once a switch has been converted to a 3-way switch, there is not a way to convert it back.

To prevent switches from changing type

Open the plan in which you would like to prevent electrical switches from changing when electrical connections are drawn.

Click the Select Objects tool, then click on an electrical switch to select it.

Click the Open Object edit button, and on the General tab of the Electrical Service Specification dialog:

Uncheck the box beside Automatically Change Switch Type When Wiring.

Click OK to close the dialog and apply your change.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any switches that you do not want to switch types when connections are added.

You can now select Build> Electrical> Connect Electrical from the menu and draw electrical connections to the switches that you modified without them changing to a different type.

JavaScript must be enabled in order for you to use Knowledgebase Manager Pro. However, it seems JavaScript is either disabled or not supported by your browser. To use Knowledgebase Manager Pro, enable JavaScript by changing your browser options, then try again.
Learn more.